Sheet conveyer



SHEET CONVEYER Filed July 26, i952 asneets-sneet 2 INVENTOR m4 my ATTORN Y# Patented Nov. 2l, 1.933

PATENT OFFICE SHEET CONVEYER GeorgeR. Roemer, Brooklyn, N. Y. Application July 26,1932. Serial No. 624,711

4 Claims. il (Cl. 19a- 105) UNITED STATES The invention aims primarily to provide an apparatus adapted to convey steel sheets and similar materials through chambers or receptacles in which the sheets are to be subjected to 5 desired treatments; for example, pickling operations as now performed on steel sheets involve a substantial amount of *manual attention and handling of the sheets in passing the same through various baths. The present invention enables the sheets to be successively mechanically fed froma conveyer to a continuously traveling carrier which passes them through the bath,

taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, discloses certain preferred embodiments thereof; these embodiments, however, are to be considered merely as illustrative of its principles. In the drawings- Fig. 1 is a vertical section taken through an apparatus constructed in accordance with the invention, the apparatus being shown in simplified, more or less diagrammatic form.

Fig. 2 is a plan view and Fig. 3 a cross sectional view of such apparatus, and

Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic view similar to Fig. 1 but illustrating a modified construction of carrier adapted to be used where it is desired to afford a longer period for treatment of the sheets in the receptacle or chamber through which the carrier passes.

The invention is illustrated as applied to an apparatus for conveying sheets or the like through a tank l, which may be understood for example as containing a pickling solution such as is frequently used in the treatment of steel sheets, plates or the like.

The sheets to be treated may be understood as arriving at the tank 1v successively, at definitely timed intervals, upon a roller-conveyer 2, which is shown as overhanging one edge of tank 1 and provided with what may be termed outboard bearings 3 carried by'a suitable support 4.

marked A in Fig. 1.

referred to in the following specification which,l

A suitable ,kicker or transfer device 5 is em,- ployed for moving the sheets from the rollerconveyer 2, to proper position ina rotary carrier 6, at the proper time. jAs shownthistransfer device consists of a series of movable arms slidably mounted in support' and having rack teeth meshing with the pinions 6a which latter are turned in opposite directions to advance and returnl arms 5 at the pro er times. VIt will be understood that the above device is merely an example of any suitable transfer device suitable for the purpose.

Y The form of carrier 6 illustrated in Fig. l s provided with sets of radially directed arms 7 extending outwardly from a hub 8 uponV shaft 9. 70 The carrier 6 is rotated instep by step fashion in such manner that just as one ofthe arms '7 comes opposite the conveyerfZ, the transfer de; vice 5 will push the incoming sheet into the car- Iier, in position to be supported by the adjacent arms 7, as indicated in respect to the sheet The arms 7 may be provided with lugs 8a to preventv thesheets from dropping out of proper supported position as they move downwardly through tank 1, and preferably the tank 1 is provided with several curved rails 9a closely underlying the ends of the downwardly passing arms 7, to further prevent the sheets from dropping down onto the bottom wall of the tank or chamber 1.

The sheets to be treated are thus passed suce cessively into operative position between the various arms 7 of carrier 6, and remain in such a position until they have passed through the tank or chamber 1, and around to a point ad- 90 jacent the point of entrance of the sheets into the carrier, as indicated by the sheet marked B in Fig. 1.

The sheets are then successively ejected from carrier 6, by a roller conveyer 10 similar to the conveyer 2 above described but located somewhat above the latter and having its rollers staggered with respect to the planes of travel of the arms '7, in such manner that as the sheet B, for example, travels downwardly to a position 10G slightly lower than that shown in Fig. 1, said sheet will be supported by the rollers 10 while the corresponding arms 7 pass downwardly between rollers 10 into position to receive the next sheet transferred to carrier 6 by the transfer device 5. 1G51' In the meantime the rollers 10 will have sucha relatively higher speed of travel in respect to the downward motion of arms '7, that the sheet B will be moved endwise, i. e. perpendicular to the plane of Fig. 1, sufficiently to clear it entirely of 11G carrier 6, before the next setof arms 7 are moved downwardly to the level of sheet B. It will be understood that a suitable interlock may be provided between the actuating devices of kicker 5 and the path of travel of the sheet B in beingI ejected from the machine, to insure that the carrier 6 is not stepped around suiciently to engage the sheet B, before the latter has moved completely out of the machine, nor will the kicker 5 advance a new sheet to rbe treated'into the carrier 6 before the above operations have been completed; since interlocks of the above nature are well known in the art they will not be described or shown in detail herein.

In Fig. 4 I have indicated Vdiagrammatically a modied construction of carrier wherein arms 7a similar to the arms 7 above described are mounted upon chains or belts 11 supported and driven by wheels 12 mounted in the tank Vor chamber 1a, such tank if desired to be provided with guide rails 9br similar to members 9a above described. This type of carrier aords a relatively longer period of treatment, or time o f vtravel of the sheets in the tank or chamber la,

which is desirable in certain kinds of treatment.

I claim:

1. An apparatus of the class described, including a conveyer o f the continuous Vtype havlng spaced radiating members adapted to support sheets and the like, means disposed laterally of the path of movement of a downwardly moving portion of said conveyer for intermittently feeding sheets into supported position in said conveyer, and means also located at said downwardly moving portion of said conveyer and adjacent said feeding means but disposed above the latter, and extending into the spaces between said radiating members for removing sheets therefrom beyond the path of movement of said members. Y

2. An apparatus of the class described, including a conveyer of the continuous type having spaced radiating members adapted to support sheets and the like, means disposed laterally of the path of movement of a downwardly moving portion of said conveyer for intermittently feeding sheets into supported position in said conveyer also located at said downwardly moving portion of said first mentioned conveyer, and a roller conveyer having its rollers interposed between the said radiating members and located somewhat above said feeding means, whereby said roller conveyer is adapted to receive the sheets and remove the same from said supporting members beyond the path of movement of said members.

3. An apparatus of the class described, including a rotary conveyer member having spaced sets of radiating members adapted to support sheets and the like, means located laterally of the path of movement of a downwardly moving portion of said conveyer member for intermittently feeding sheets between corresponding radiating members of said sets of radiating members, and a roller conveyer also located at said downwardlymoving portion of said iirst mentioned conveyer and somewhat above said feeding means, said roller conveyer having rollers disposed between said sets of radiating members, whereby said roller conveyer is adapted to receive sheets and re- 1GO move the same beyond the path of movement of said supporting members.

4. An appartus of the class described, including a conveyer of the belt type having spaced sets of radiating members extending outwardly there- 105 from and adapted to support sheets and the like, means located laterally of the path of movement of a downwardly moving portion of said conveyer Vfor intermittently feeding sheets into position be- GEORGE R. ROEMER. l2() 

